Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of connectors, more specifically to connectors suitable for use in high data rate applications.
Description of Related Art
One known connector configuration is commonly referred to as a small form-factor pluggable (SFP) connector. SFP style connectors can be configured to provide two high data rate channels and a number of lower data rate channels. As can be appreciated, this configuration is sometimes referred to as a 1× connector as it provides for one channel of data communication for transmitting and one channel for receiving. Other connectors with similar form factors can provide more high data rate channels such as 4× connectors that provide four transmit and four receive channels. Because of the relatively small size, SFP-style connectors have proven useful for mounting in racks and other applications were space is at a premium and because of its performance, have also proven useful in relatively high performance applications. With ever increasing demands for more and more data, however, existing designs, even if potentially suitable for 10 Gbps data rates or greater, have begun to be less attractive for use in applications where it is generally desirable that the connector be somewhat future proof. Therefore, certain individuals would appreciate a SFP style connector that is suitable for applications where a higher data rates might be desired.